OPINION: Russia’s Latest Madness: Starve the World Into Submission

Russia must win or the entire world should be prepared to suffer catastrophic humanitarian consequences. That’s the implied message Russia has been sending in the form of daily missile strikes that have destroyed numerous grain storage sites and port facilities throughout southern Ukraine.

On July 30, Pope Francis stunned the world with a blistering condemnation of Russia’s grain destruction as a “grave offense to God.” For the sake of humanity, Russia must be swiftly and severely punished.       

In conjunction with Russia’s sabotage of Ukraine’s grain staples, Russia also withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Deal. This UN brokered agreement enabled Ukraine to safely export its grain. As a result, the Russian Navy is effectively enacting a food blockade in the Black Sea. This paralyzes Ukraine’s ability to export critically important grain to alleviate world hunger.      

This alarming new shift in the war started on July 17, when a Russian missile strike destroyed 60,000 tons of grain in Chornomorsk, Odesa region. Since then, Russia has gone on the rampage, destroying food storage facilities throughout the country. Russia’s increasingly reckless tactics became especially apparent on July 24, after a grain warehouse on the Danube River was bombed. Rather alarmingly, this occurred within shouting distance of NATO member Romania.

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Russia’s newest reign of terror started after the Kremlin blamed Ukraine for attacking Crimea’s Kerch bridge. Russian Security Council Spokesman, Dimitry Medvedev, bombastically warned of an “inhuman” response. Their logic is ethically and legally flawed. In 2014, Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia when their military secretly entered Crimea and orchestrated a sham referendum amid brutal repression.    

Russia must be stopped from holding the world’s food supply hostage to its imperialistic demands. It is trying to recreate the “Holodomor” genocide from the 1930s, when four million Ukrainians starved to death after Soviet officials confiscated food and blockaded villages from famine relief. 

The Kremlin is waging a war against civilization by limiting the availability of the world’s food supplies with potentially catastrophic consequences. This has caused grain prices to soar ever higher. Countries like Egypt and Bangladesh with a combined population of 285 million receive 25 percent of their wheat from Ukraine. As a result, tens of millions of additional children worldwide could suffer from malnourishment or starvation.

In truth, Russia is using the weaponization of food to gain leverage aimed at removing Western sanctions. Instead of removing sanction, the US and its allies should demolish the Kremlin’s playbook and call Russia’s bluff. 

For starters, more Russian banks should be cut from the SWIFT monetary system that facilitates international money transfers. Rather incredulously, only seven out of approximately 300 Russians banks have been removed from SWIFT.

US President Joe Biden should authorize the State Department to designate Russia a “State Sponsor of Terrorism”. Last year, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed non- binding resolution(s) asking the President to enact the terrorist designation. Unfortunately, both the President and the State Department, which has authority to act, have consistently balked, citing concerns of a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Finally, the US should ramp up production of various advanced weapons systems and munitions. Ukraine desperately needs US Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) with a range of 190 miles. This weapon system would obliterate Russian military sites deep inside Russian occupied areas of Ukraine-critically important for the liberation of Crimea. This would ensure Ukraine’s long-term security and liberate the Black Sea.  

NATO allies have complicitly allowed Russia to control shipping corridors in the Black Sea with impunity. Meanwhile the greatest menace, China, has claimed expansive rights to vast areas of the South China Sea aimed at controlling resource-rich shipping lanes. Eventually, the world will evolve into geo-political chaos if tyrannical regimes are allowed to aggressively plunder international waterways.       

Humanitarians around the world must support Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, tyranny and genocide from spreading. Ukraine is the beacon of hope to restore the righteousness of world order and prevent the genocidal transgressions of the last century from repeating with exponential atrocities.   

Peace on earth is unlikely to occur until Russia suffers a resounding battlefield defeat. US citizens should contact their representatives in Congress and request them to supply Ukraine with advanced weapons and tanks, F-16 fighter jets, mine clearing equipment and air defense systems.     

David Root advocates for the nonprofit organization, US Ukrainian Activists. Previously, he spent 15 years as a citizen lobbyist in Washington, DC specializing in National Security and Immigration.      

The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily Kyiv Post.